Page 29 of The Surprise Wedding
“You don’t think they’ll miss us?” Tamara asked as they entered the beach house.
Nate shook his head. “Are you kidding? They’ll be too focused on devouring all that amazing food. You don’t know my family.”
“But I know you, and you’re the one I’m interested in.”
They kissed again in the kitchen, empty apart from a couple of waiters, and it felt like the most obvious and natural thing in the world. When they reached the stairway to the upper floor, Tamara began to undo the buttons of his shirt.
“Easy,” Nate said with a laugh. “At this rate, we won’t make it to the room.”
“I’m not sure I care,” Tamara whispered in his ear. They made it upstairs, still stealing kisses and exploring each other as much as they dared through their clothes, holding back just enough so that it wouldn’t be embarrassing if a stray aunt wandered past.
“This is what I thought might happen last night,” Tamara said, murmuring the words between kisses.
“What do you mean?”
“When we were in bed last night, I whispered your name,” Tamara said, her fingers working their way through more buttonholes. “I thought… Well, I hoped for a lot of things. But you were asleep!” Playfully, she shook her finger at him.
He was stunned. If it had been any other moment, Nate would have asked questions. Why hadn’t she woken him, for one? Or, what did it all mean? But it wasn’t another moment. It was now, and now was everything.
“When you didn’t answer me, I figured you didn’t want me,” Tamara said.
“Trust me,” Nate replied, looking at her with love and then pulling her closer. “I want you. I’ll always want you.”
They stopped at the top of the stairs for a moment, breathless and excited and giddy. Laughing, they raced down the hallway to their room and slammed the door shut, not intending to come out until morning.
Chapter Twelve
With the sun shining through the bedroom window, Nate was content to lie in bed and watch Tamara packing. Not that there was a lot of packing to do. It was mostly a question of picking up rumpled wedding clothes from the floor and finding a way to shove them back into their bags. Tamara was dressed more casually today, back to normal, back to looking like she might go down to the beach at any moment. In fact, that was a good idea before getting in the car to drive home. A walk on the beach. A beautiful view. He could declare himself then, and it would be perfect.
Nate found himself beaming for one very special reason. He’d gone from just enjoying the weekend to stupid-happy. The wedding had been a success, his brother was married, and his family had been big and embarrassing and enjoyable. And then, of course, there was Tamara. The sweetest most wonderful cherry on top.
He hadn’t dared hope that things would go this well. He’d thought he might get a chance to show her in small, subtle ways how he cared for her. Maybe even say a little of what he felt. But he’d never dared imagine they might end up together, like this, so obviously in love, so obviously connected. The only thing left to do was actually say the words, and he wanted to find the perfect moment for it.
“Do you want to go down to the beach?” Nate asked. “It might be nice to have a walk before we drive back. Also, I bet it’s probably very pretty without a party going on.”
“I think it’s always pretty,” Tamara said. She glanced at her watch, but there seemed to be something a little stiff about the movement. “We probably don’t have much time.”
“I’m sure we could fit something in,” Nate suggested. He wanted to stretch this weekend out as long as he could, even if Tamara did have a good point. They both had jobs to get back to today.
Tamara shook her head. “We still need to say good-bye to your family and drive back.”
“Is everything all right?” Nate asked, realizing Tamara had been a little quiet since they’d woken up. He’d thought maybe she was the kind of person who didn’t like talking as soon as she woke up, but now he was a little concerned.
“I’m fine,” Tamara assured him.
“You sure?” Nate asked. “It’s not like you to miss out on a chance to go to the beach.”
For a moment, a flicker of something Nate couldn’t place crossed Tamara’s features. Then she smiled. “Nate, there’s really no time. I have a coffee shop to manage. I know the kids opened up this morning, but I don’t want to press my luck. Monday mornings are always busy. Besides, don’t you have a wedding that needs your help?”
Oh, right. The wedding! Nate had totally forgotten about Zach and Yuriko’s wedding. He’d been too busy thinking about Tamara.
“I guess you’re right,” Nate said, quietly disappointed. “We both have a busy week ahead of us. Maybe we can come back another weekend and really spend some time on the beach.”
“That sounds good,” Tamara replied. She turned back to her bags. “I’m just about ready. I’ve got a couple more things to pack.”
Nate stifled a sigh. As much as he loved the challenge Zach’s wedding presented, he didn’t want to think about it right now. He wanted to think about Tamara and only Tamara. Even so, he made himself get up, get dressed, and finish packing.
Ten minutes later, they hurried downstairs. In the kitchen, there were a few family members drinking coffee, but the house was quiet. Some people had returned home yesterday, and a few more had made an early start that morning. Still, there were enough family members around the breakfast table that it felt like glorious chaos. Seeing Tamara, a couple of Nate’s cousins cornered her and asked all about running a coffee shop.
